One of the game's most successful players and polarizing figures, Russell is known for his calculating strategic game, and his usage of idols, blackmails, split votes, and vote-throwoffs. In SS6, despite being voted off early, Russell was known for dominating three straight challenges before his eventual loss in the final truel.

Russell began the game on Bikal tribe, intermixed with both fans and favorites. After losing the first challenge, Stephen targeted Russell and launched a plan to split the votes on him and Erik. After finding this out, Russell, along with Erik, swung over nearly the entire tribe to virtually vote out Stephen unanimously.

Despite the two tribe swaps, Russell stayed on the Bikal Tribe for the entire pre-merge phase of the game, and ruled it with an iron fist, but not without error. After blasting Tyson 11-1, Russell formed a plan to blindside Troyzan, after becoming aware of his idol. Despite Troyzan's idol play, Russell's manipulation of the tribe put the remaining votes on Sierra, who was blindsided. The very next episode, Russell would find himself as a target when Courtney was put under the notion that Russell was plotting a blindside of her. Despite votes from her and Andrea, Russell plotted a split vote on Courtney and Fabio, but assuredly told his alliance that Courtney goes on the revote. However, Fabio would be blindsided when Coach flipped his vote over to Fabio.

The second tribe swap saw to the rise of Russell's Fan Alliance, where Russell would unite with his old friend, Malcolm, and the "Femme Trio" of Chelsea, Sugar, and Kim. Together, outsiders Cirie and Carter would be voted out by Russell's alliance during the span of Bikal's next two tribal councils.

Heading into the merge, it was generally viewed that the Bikal and Gota alliances were inseperable, as the five between each tribe voted in near exact unison during the second tribe swap. Russell and Malcolm pondered between two choices; either to stick true with the remaining three fans or to flip over to Brett and Courtney's former Gota Alliance, with promises of a final four deal. Russell chose the former, and gave Brett and Courtney a preconceived notion that him and Malcolm were with them fully. To ensure a majority, Russell manipulated Kelly into throwing off her vote to Andrea, promising her that a 'big move would be made'. With the former Gota no longer voting together as a pack of five, Russell and Malcolm, along with their fans alliance, chose to blindside Angie, who was assumed to never have an idol played upon.

For the next few episodes, Russell 'pagonged' Brett's alliance, carefully devising split votes upon them after Kelly had flipped alliances, as Courtney and Andrea would follow Angie out the door. After Brett won immunity for an unprecedented fourth time in a row, Russell assumed the only logical target to keep the three fans satisfied was to vote off Kelly. Russell, aware that both he and Brett had an idol, believed that neither would be used in the upcoming tribal. Erred in his judgement, Chelsea and Kim temporarily flipped over to Brett to cause a tie in the vote, and subsequently voted Russell in the revote, dethroning the king. Russell would end up being the only player to vote for Sugar in the jury vote, as she remained loyal to him throughout the course of the game.

Russell started the game off with Upolu. He quickly gelled with the majority of the cast, and, with strong performances in challenges, was able to avoid tribal council for the first two episodes. When Upolu had finally lost, Russell was quick to agree with the majority to vote out Gervase, who was unanimously voted out 9-1.

After the tribe swap, Russell found himself with Tyson, Sandra, Sugar, Brett, RC, Natalie, and Pete. Feeling secure, Russell insisted for a power majority of six, with the idea of leaving Pete and Natalie on the outs. After winning their first challenge after the tribe swap, Savaii would lose the next challenge and visit tribal council. Russell issued a split vote on Pete and Natalie, fully cognizant of Natalie's idol. When Russell had caught wind that Brett, RC, and Sugar had reneged his alliance, he quickly went to Tyson and Sandra to put three votes on Natalie along with himself. Needing a fourth, Russell pleaded to Sugar to tie the votes, and force a tiebreaker challenge, confident in his ability to beat Natalie in the sudden death challenge. Sugar had initially agreed - and voted alongside Russell and tied the votes 4-4. However, when Sherri randomly offered Sugar a Final 3, along with Natalie offering her priviledge to use her idol, Sugar flipped, thus sealing Russell's fate and sending him to Redemption Island. As being the fifth voted out, this is unprecedented for Russell - but he vows to return to the game.

So far at Redemption Island, Russell has won three straight challenges in a row, thoroughly dominating each challenge by wide margins. However, in the final challenge against Abi Maria and Lisa, Russell pulled a JOHNNY MANZIEL and overslept, thus ending his game for good.